


Heard in the Lab

by punkdentist



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Dissection, Gen, Mild Gore, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 05:36:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3966376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkdentist/pseuds/punkdentist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>My mom wanted me to be a butcher, you know?</i>
</p><p>pacific rim au - Matt and Foggy are working on a way to predict kaiju attacks. Karen has a more hands-on approach to understanding kaiju, cutting them up and seeing what's inside. They share a lab due to budget cuts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heard in the Lab

_My mom wanted me to be a butcher, you know?_

The lab had always been messy, and the clutter had not diminished after Karen moved in with her spare kaiju body parts and mysterious dark fluids. Three desks stood pushed together in the middle to save space. Printed braille sheets lay in neat stacks that no one was allowed to move or touch but Matt. Foggy's drawers were filled with snacks, crunchy pretzels and soft pink marshmallows. Karen had a bouncy ball instead of a chair though she preferred to pace, heels clicking against the floor and mouth racing.

The blackboards covered the walls from floor to ceiling. Between all the white numbers that made no sense to her, Karen had doodled a stick-man and a speech bubble saying MATH SUX. Chalk-dust hang in the air, got on their clothes, in their lungs. Where ever there was room, stood bookcases overflowing with books. A fan whirred away, but did little to cool the air. Matt discretely poured the rest of his coffee into the pot of the single plant that was resilient enough to survive the hostile environment of the lab. He almost missed, and a few drops hit floor instead of earth.

_But I didn't want to be around raw meat. All that carving and slashing ... the smell alone!_

Karen snorted, but did not comment. She was elbow deep in purplish entrails that squelched as she pulled her hand up to reach for a scalpel. The knife slipped out of her slimy grip and clattered against the metal workbench. Karen wiped her hand on her already bloody t-shirt that she wore specifically for dissection purposes. She grabbed the scalpel again, clutched the handle with a determined single-mindedness. Her goal was simple, cut out a tissue sample small enough to work with the microscope, but large enough to hold meaningful data.

Matt leaned back in his chair and yawned. The world might be ending, but there was still time for breaks. The wet sounds of Karen slicing through flesh carried effortlessly through the room. The smell of blood invaded his nose. It had a sharp, metallic quality to it. They had tried to cover it up once in the beginning with air-fresheners and artificial scents. Matt had gotten headaches, and Foggy had said that it smelled like Barbie had murdered someone. 

_So I became a mathematician instead and took pride in having avoided a fate of flesh and blood._

Foggy paused his well-worn monologue. New numbers, almost a break-through, popped into his head. He wrote messily on the nearest blackboard. Most people in the shatterdome had heard his now infamous butcher story and knew what subjects to avoid so they would not accidentally set it off. He ran a hand through his long-ish hair, scratched his head and considered what was missing in their formula. He and Matt were close now, closer than they had ever been before to predicting the kaiju attacks, that were nowhere near as random as they seem. Foggy added a couple of symbols. The chalk squeaked. He rubbed the white dust off his fingertips and sighed. He did not like the picture the equations painted, but now was not the time for worry. It was the time for complaining.

_And what happens? I end up sharing a lab with a scientist obsessed with understanding kaiju biology. It's revolting._

Karen was too busy inspecting swirling blobs in her microscope to respond. She pursed her lips, and turned the knob a little, tried to get a clear view. Karen tapped her foot against the floor and blinked. Everything blurred together, her head was spinning. She could feel the pressure building inside. She clenched her hand to a fist, nails digging into the soft meat of her palm. Karen stepped away from her workbench, looked up. She and Foggy locked eyes, he smiled, showing both teeth and tongue, sent her a quick thumbs-up. She smiled back, went to wash the gore of her hands and finally take a break. Maybe she would do something nice for Foggy soon, bake him cookies or let him be in the middle of their weekend cuddle pile.

Matt could hear the change in Karen's breathing, the minute her frustrated huffs gave way to normal breaths. Her experiments had not been going well, but she was pausing them for the moment. He suspected that it had something to do with Foggy, a shared look, a silly expression, something like that. He almost did not mind not knowing, still the wish of seeing their smiles burned bright, every time he heard them laugh. Matt considered calling them over, but did not. They would come anyway. The sound of water splashing ended abruptly as Karen turned the knob, finished with washing her hands. She walked with long strides, reaching Matt in his chair. She tangled her fingers in his soft hair. Foggy joined them and dumped himself in Matt's lap, giggling. Karen huffed in mock-exasperation. Matt just smiled.

_It's all-right though. Somehow I'll live._

**Author's Note:**

> Tried to write a relationship between the 3 that can be read as friendship or romance.
> 
> Hope it isn't too rough, I wrote it at night. 
> 
> (thanks for reading - constructive criticism welcome)


End file.
